Similar Reasoning Questions on GMAT Critical Reasoning
Similar Reasoning Questions on CR
In GMAT critical reasoning, there are several different types of questions that you will encounter. In this short article, we will cover the characteristics of the similar reasoning questions and how to solve them.
Similar Reasoning
In similar reasoning questions, an argument is presented, and the question asks you to identify the answer choice that applies a similar method of reasoning, meaning an answer choice whose logical structure is similar to that of the argument given. Typically, the question is “Of the following, which most closely resembles the above argument in logical structure?”
Let’s now take a GMAT-like example to understand this concept better.
Example 1:
Paying police officers for updates on prominent investigations is certainly illegal. However, if our news service does not buy this information, another surely will.
Of the following, which most closely resembles the above argument in logical structure?
As always, step one is to read the question stem. Step two is to read the argument, and step 3 is to have some type of expectation of what we expect from the correct answer choice.
Structurally, this argument starts by stating a fact and then it has a contrasting conclusion, suggesting that if the speaker’s “news service” does not do a certain unethical activity, some other will. Now, let’s take a look at the correct answer choice:
Option 1:
Felling trees of an endangered species is indeed a crime. However, if those loggers had not cut down these trees, someone else would have definitely cut them down.
This answer choice also begins by stating an unethical activity and then follows it up by stating that if these “loggers” had not done the activity, some other would have. Thus, this answer choice is almost exactly parallel to the provided statement, using the exact same reasoning. So, this is very much the correct answer choice.
This article has deliberately been kept brief; for a more elaborate explanation, please refer to the Experts’ Global Stage One Critical Reasoning videos.
